1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of enantioselective addition to imines and, more particularly, to a method of enantioselective addition of organozinc to imines using a chiral β-amino alcohol.
2. Description of Related Art
Most of isolated natural products have specific stereochemistry. Various stereoconfiguration causes significant difference in bioactivity, and particularly stereoconfiguration is critical for most drugs. For example, thalidomide is a chiral molecule and used for treating sickness and faintness of pregnant women, but its enantiomer causes abnormal fetal development; S,S-isomer of captopril is effective for treating of hypertension and heart disease; and S-isomer of Dopa can be used for treatment of Parkinson's disease, but its R-isomer has toxicity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in 1992, issued that optical isomers of the drug having chiral center(s) should be isolated from each other, studied separately for their bioactivity and taken for clinical testing and only its therapeutically active isomer can be brought to market. Accordingly, many scientists have devoted themselves to the improvement of enantioselectivity to obtain substances having specific stereoconfiguration. The enantioselectivity of products may be enhanced by using chiral reagents, chiral auxiliaries or chiral catalysts, such that products can be synthesized in high optical activity.
Chiral amines play important roles in synthesis of bioactive substances and drugs. For example, methoxyphenamine is a β-adrenergic receptor agonist and can be used to treat asthma; rivastigmine is a pseudo-irreversible inhibitor of cholinesterase and can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease; tamsulosin is a selective α1-adrenoceptor antagonist and can be used to decrease urinary symptoms caused by prostate hypertrophy; and repaglinide can stimulate the release of insulin from the pancreas to reduce blood glucose and thus can be used in treating type II diabetes.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to develop a method for preparing amine products in high optical purity.